Family ties: Seven siblings sit on a wooden fence Quebec, Canada, in one of the images released by National Geographic. The picture is believed to date from the 1930s.(Photo/Agencies)

Four boys bob for apples in West Virginia, USA in January 1939.(Photo/Agencies)

Arm in arm: Young children hold on to one another as they walk down a dirt road alongside a corn field in Pennsylvania, USA, in 1919.(Photo/Agencies)

Four Amish children perch on a fence on a hot summer's day in Pennsylvania in 1941.(Photo/Agencies)

Morning glory: Mother carries milk pails on her shoulders while the children lead a horse on a foggy morning walk in Quebec, Canada in 1950.(Photo/Agencies)

A boy shows off his freshly picked strawberries in Missouri in 1943.(Photo/Agencies)

Two children with a puppy sit on an old split rail fence in Missouri in 1946.(Photo/Agencies)

These fascinating pictures of American and Canadian youngsters in the first half of the 20th century capture an almost forgotten age of innocence and the simplest of pleasures.

The photographs, from the archives of the National Geographic magazine, show children from around two or three up until their early teens and give a fascinating glimpse into what life was like for youngsters without the all trappings of the modern world which we now take so much for granted.

The children are pictured huddled together in the family homestead or talking a jolly stroll in the countryside. Two young boys are seen staring in awe at a billboard announcing the circus is in town wondering if they will be lucky enough to go along.